Kingsford vs. Lump - Does the meat really taste different?


 
J

John_H

TVWBB Member
I know there have been a lot of threads about lump vs. kingsford. There have been many different aspects of lump vs briquette debated. My question centers specifically around taste. Are there people than can tell a noticeable difference in taste? Has anyone done a side by side cook with both? I always thought using my Kingsford was fine and then I recently read "Low and Slow" by Gary Wiviott and he makes it sound like your're a complete moron for using Kingsford. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
That's his opinion. I don't use K on a regular basis, but when I do I don't detect any off taste. However, my taste buds are 68 years old. There are people who say they detect an off taste from K, and so they use something else. Everybody has his own favorite. For the last two years, I've been using the Trader Joe briquettes and once a year I treat myself to three bags of Wicked Good lump
 
i havn't used kingsford for many many years. one of the issues is the smell. many don't remember what the original k stuff was like,great stuff, but now its not so great. trader joes stuff is made by rancher which is good stuff. i mainly use ro exclusively. all that being said, only you can decide. try differant stuff and see for yer self. never rely on what others say.
 
I'm new to smoking and have only done a few butts so far. Is it possible it may make more difference on less heavily seasoned items like chicken, etc. where you're tasting more of just the meat?
 
John,

I grill and smoke with nothing but Kingsford blue bag, its all I've ever used, and nobody ever says anything when they eat my steaks, ribs, Q, chops, whatever, is, "That's the best I have ever eaten." They always want more, the recipes, the rubs, and for me to invite them again. I've never heard one word, or had one thought, about any problem with K. I say catch the sale at your local Home Depot in the summer, buy a year's worth at basically half price, and don't look back. Sure, there are pros and cons to everything, but I say the quality and price of K on sale is unbeatable. My 2 cents worth (at half price!)
 
Yet I believe that Kingsford is used in competitions with great success.

I burn either without hesitation, but I prefer lump because of the low ash and the left over lump holds together better than briquettes for the next burn.

I think people can detect a difference but I think the majority of folks can't tell the difference between K (or any briquette) and lump. As is often an answer to the questions on the board, you have to try it for yourself. The great thing about that is that in BBQ most experiments result in an outcome that is pretty good eatin'
 
For me, its all about experimenting and figuring out what works best for your tastes and the tastes of those who eat with you. I agree with Jerry, people get great results from using either one, so you're certainly not going to get terrible results from using one type to the next.

I think you'll find that from experimenting, you'll probably end up finding different reasons to choose one from the other like burn times, ash production, etc. You'll also be really, really full...
 
John, I happen to use and like lump and in the past I have detected off tastes from briquettes. The problem is that my mind is shot and I don't know what kind of briquettes they were. My two cents would be that if you like K, then don't let someone else talk you out of it. Use what you are comfortable with. My friend uses K and his stuff is every bit as good as mine. You could try some comparisons, but in the end go with what you like to cook with. Like T Bounds said, I'll bet people won't be leaving your house because they will only eat meat cooked with a certain kind of charcoal.
 
Give it a shot and see what you think, but definitely try a couple of different kinds. Lump charcoal usually has some of the character of whatever kind of wood it was made from, so as an example a mesquite charcoal and an oak charcoal will give a fair amount of flavor. Some like Wicked Good are very neutral and won't compete with any smoke wood you're adding.
 
There are too many barbeque championship trophies awarded to people who used briquettes to suport the notion that lump tastes significantly better than Kingsford.

Chris has a pretty good article discussing this point. To summarize, he goes with K.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by george curtis:
i havn't used kingsford for many many years. one of the issues is the smell. many don't remember what the original k stuff was like,great stuff, but now its not so great. trader joes stuff is made by rancher which is good stuff. i mainly use ro exclusively. all that being said, only you can decide. try differant stuff and see for yer self. never rely on what others say. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree lump smells better; it has a cleaner smell. But taste in the finished product? Well, you'd be hard pressed to tell much difference.
 
I wouldn't say that Kinsford has an "off-taste".

I would, however, state that different types and manufacturers of charcoal can have different "flavor-signatures".

This can depend upon:
-The type of wood used to make the charcoal
-How completely the wood is "carbonized", during the process where it is converted to charcoal
-Additives that are added to the charcoal

This can be more or less noticeable, depending on if you are using any given product for grilling / high-heat or for smoking.

From what I've seen, some types of lump add very little smoke flavor to the food, and when you use them - you probably will want to add more smoke wood if you want more flavor. With some others, the charcoal may be fine by itself, without smoke wood or with very little.

When you are starting-out, I would suggest:
-Stick with a brand that is easily obtained
-Get "comfortable" with it (this will take a few cooks - be careful about letting your WSM get seasoned before you start comparing)
-Then experiment, and have fun, but be cautious the first time you try any new charcoal. Methods that produce predictable results (burn and flavor-wise) with one brand may not work well under the same circumstances.

Then, on top of all of this stuff - throw-in "personal prefference". Most people grew-up on Kingsford, this is what they're used to and what they expect barbeque to taste like.

In the end - have fun and experiment. You will eventually find what you like
 
So far, I've only used Kingsford and, as most say, can't say it has caused off flavors or smells. Gary Wiviott is selling a book, his opinion is good, and it's still just an opinion. I like his book and techniques, but I don't do exactly like he says.

In my 5 or 6 smokes with I, what I HAVE found is that the ONE time I put the meat on at the beginning of the heat up (with LOTS of white smoke blowing) I got a BIG smoky flavor that was not all that pleasant. I think it was too much SMOKE on the meat rather than "smoking" the meat. Since then I followed some advice I read here and elsewhere and let the heavy early smoke dissipate and go for the "thin blue smoke". For me, this coincides with the smoke coming up to my smoking temp (above 200*) and has eliminated that "faux smoke" (ya like that mis-nomer?) flavor.

Rich
 
I really think that any comments I've made about ribs smoke flavor being "off" due to K was all in my head.

I just tasted a burnt end right off the cooker, and it was INCREDIBLE. Besides being basted by the pork butt on the rack over it
icon_wink.gif
....Worster sauce, KC style rub, smoked w/ hickory/oak/applewood in blue bag Kingsford.

That being said, on this "K-cook," I probably went around smacking the wsm in the knees five or six times today to get all the meat done, starting at 5:15 this morning.
icon_mad.gif

You don't need to do that with low ash briquettes like Stubbs, and it doesn't last any longer than Stubbs, either. It's just cheaper.
 
I can only taste a difference when using blue k for longer smokes, however its not bad. It is still better than most have ever had that are not used to real Q! I like the flavor of good lump used with the smoke wood added for a cleaner taste, my opinion is let the smoke wood and rub do the work not the charcoal.

I will tell you that I have 200lbs of blue k in the garage left over from holiday sales, but I have to make myself grab it over lump whether it is for the smoker or grill.
 
John,I can't tell a difference in taste. I like regular blue bag K for just about everything. But,I do use lump for grilleg steaks and spatch-cocked chicken. It burns hotter than briquettes.
 
Like others here, I too have read Gary Wiviott's book and agree with the statements that Mr. Wiviott is entitled to his opinion and to have it published in his book.

What I can tell those of you reading this thread is that our competition barbeque team has, as of this posting, 18 career Grand Championships and 16 career Reserve Grand Championships that have all been won using WSMs and Kingsford briquettes.

While I believe that there are folks who can honestly taste a distinct difference between briquettes and lump, those folks are few and far between. If the "bad taste" of briquettes was as predominently noticed as some would have you believe, I seriously doubt our team would have enjoyed this volume of success.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top